I have been systematically destroying my best friends confidence for two years
My closest friend got lucky with a niche social media channel about two years ago and it completely went to his head. He started out as a normal guy but as soon as the follower count hit six figures he turned into an absolute narcissist. He talks down to our entire group of friends like we are just background noise in his journey to fame. He checks his metrics every five seconds during dinner and has this fake personality he puts on whenever we are in public. I hated seeing him change and I hated feeling like I was being left behind so I decided to bring him back down to earth.
I built a little network of about seven burner accounts to mess with him. I am careful about it too. I use a VPN and different browsers so the platform doesn't flag my activity as spam. I do not just post generic insults because those are easy to ignore. Instead I leave very specific surgical critiques. I know him better than anyone else so I know exactly where his insecurities are buried. I leave comments about how his voice sounds forced when he tries to be serious or how he looks incredibly awkward in certain camera angles. I even make fun of small physical habits I know he is self conscious about.
The messed up part is that in real life I am his main support system. We hang out and he shows me the exact comments I wrote an hour before. He is actualy terrified of these "anonymous haters" who seem to know his every flaw. He tells me I am the only one he can trust because I am always there to listen to him vent. I sit there and nod and tell him that people are just miserable and he should ignore them while I am the one making him feel like a total failure. I feel this sick rush of power every time I see him check his phone and get that look of pure misery. I have turned him into a nervous wreck. He is taking anxiety meds now and he thinks he is losing his mind because of the constant targeted negativity.
I know I am a total snake for this. I see him struggling to stay sucesful and part of me wants to delete everything and just be a good friend again. But then he starts talking about some new brand deal or how he is "evolving" past our old social circle and the resentment just flares up. I need him to stay on my level. If he gets too big he will leave me behind and I cant handle that. I am addicted to being the one who keeps his ego in the dirt while pretending to be his guardian angel. It is a disgusting cycle and I am deep in it now with no way out without losing every friend I have. I just keep watching him crumble and it feels like the only thing that makes us equal anymore .